Chiffonniers et entreprises privées internationales Stratégies d'adaptation des acteurs formels et informels face à la reforme de la gestion des déchets au Caire

International audienceResearchers have only recently paid attention to solid waste management in the Arab world. With the arrival of European private companies, the informal system of solid waste management in Egypt has been totally transformed since 2000. In Cairo, the relative failure of the private-controlled system of waste collection has been partly caused by the non-integration of the informal sector (rag-and-bone men, called "zabbâlîn"). Firstly, our paper will provide a brief overview of how informal garbage collectors used to operate before the "privatization" of waste collection and recycling. Zabbâlîn in Egypt are often considered as having the most efficient recycling system in the world with 80% of waste collected and recycled. They also have a great capacity to adjust to new techniques and to recycle new materials. Moreover, the zabbâlîn operate with a wide range of industrial sectors nationally and internationally. However, zabbâlîn also face a number of constraints including health issues, the lack of labour legislation as well as uneven collection in some areas. We will then focus on the transition towards a private waste collection system. In order to highlight its impact on the zabbâlîn, it is important to take into account the local context, in particular the political, social, cultural and religious circumstances. We will also discuss the local communities' reactions, including residents who opposed the introduction of a new waste collection system, rejected the new fees and stood by the side of the zabbâlîn. We will also examine the actors' strategies of adjustment given this new context. Some of the zabbâlîn have been incorporated into the formal labor sector and others have signed contracts with foreign companies to collect and recycle waste. But most of them have resorted to other forms of organization, often illegal. While some traditional intermediaries have been excluded from the new waste collection system, others now play a new role. These new practices have profoundly changed the structure and organization of the zabbâlîn community. They have also created new professional territories based on different activities. The zabbâlîn also rely on different professional networks. Finally, the key issues arising from the case study conducted in Cairo will be discussed namely the relationship between the formal sector, consisting of foreign companies, and the informal sector, found almost all Arab countries. While it cannot be denied that the former has professional expertise in this field, the zabbâlîn's skills can be seen to provide another form of efficient waste management. This raises the further question of the transfer of skills and technology between developed and developing countries.La gestion des déchets dans le Monde Arabe reste encore largement inexplorée par la recherche académique. Or, depuis les années 2000, l'arrivée d'entreprises européennes dans le système de gestion des déchets en Égypte a profondément bouleversé les modes d'organisation antérieure et remis en cause la place et le rôle du secteur informel. En ce qui concerne Le Caire, l'échec relatif de la privatisation est en partie dû à la non-intégration des chiffonniers, appelés les zabbâlîn. À travers l'étude détaillée des relations entre les acteurs formels et informels, cet article retrace les modes de gestion des déchets en Égypte et leurs reconfigurations récentes. Tout d'abord, il présente le système traditionnel des zabbâlîn, puis la transition vers un système privatisé et les conséquences sur cette communauté et, enfin, les différentes stratégies d'adaptation mises en œuvres par les acteurs afin de stabiliser le service et de pérenniser leurs activités. Cette étude de cas est riche d'enseignements pour les autres pays de la région qui partagent les mêmes enjeux et problématiques d'un secteur informel traditionnel confronté à la modernisation du service. Elle pose aussi la question du transfert de compétences entre pays développés et en développement